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#DEdreams in Pictures

A huge, big thank you to everyone for coming out and making last week’s Danforth East Dreams event such a fun and successful day!

Over 400 (!) of you joined us to share what you love about the ‘hood and your dreams about how we can make it even better. There were tons of great ideas, including:

  • starting a community garden (Attention those of you who loved this idea: good news is coming soon!)
  • a neighbourhood wide golf tournament in which everyone sets up a hole on their lawn
  • bringing back monarch butterflies to Monarch Park
  • bike lanes on Danforth
  • converting the TTC buildings at Coxwell (South side of Danforth) into a public space with a park, stores and housing
  • rabbits (the young lady didn’t elaborate on her vision, but rabbits are indeed pretty cool all on their own)

We even spied an idea that looked an awful lot like a marriage proposal (possibly a DECA first?). We’ll continue collecting all the ideas and share the full results in the next few weeks. Until then, have a look at the fantastic pictures taken by Bruce, Tina and Casey. See if you spot your idea or recognize someone you know posing with their dream.

Once again, many thanks to Melanie’s Bistro, Moberly Natural Foods, Beau’s, LEN, Rebel Therapy Yoga, Air Zound bike horns, Ankh Yoga, 32 Spokes, Mrs. Darling’s Imaginarium for Girls & Boys, Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon for the use of her popcorn machine, the Toronto Repair Cafe and the owners of 1811 Danforth, Haig and David.

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#DEdreams: tomorrow! Ultimate @ Stephenson

TOMORROW!

Remember to come out THIS SATURDAY, April 12 to our community party, Danforth East Dreams! Stop by 12-4 pm to 1811 Danforth Ave. for a few minutes on your way to the park or stay for the whole afternoon.  FREE drinks & treats from Melanie’s Bistro, Moberly Natural Foods & Beau’s! FREE bike tune-ups from 32 Spokes! FREE kids’ activities from Mrs. Darling’s Imaginarium for Boys & Girls! FREE repairs next door from 11-3 pm at the Repair Cafe! We also have amazing door prizes from LEN, Rebel Therapy Yoga, Air Zound bike horns and Ankh Yoga!

We’ll have lots of cool ways to share your ideas for improving the hood. So start dreaming and tweet your ideas now using #DEdreams and we’ll use your tweets tomorrow.

Special thanks to the owners of 1811 Danforth, Haig and David, for the use of their space for the day.
 

Ultimate Frisbee Returns to Stephenson Park

If this gorgeous weather has inspired you to get outside, why not try ultimate at a local park? REC Athletics’ Spring 2014 Ultimate Frisbee League begins May 7, 2014 at Stephenson Park. It’s co-ed, fun and you can register now as an individual or a team at www.recathletics.com.

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Let’s Party! Save the date: April 12

It’s been a long winter. Power outages, Polar Vortex, snow, the return of the Polar Vortex, and even more snow. If there was ever a Spring to celebrate, this is it. So save the date for Saturday, April 12, 12-4 pm, 1811 Danforth, because we’re inviting you to kick off your Sorrels and get together with your neighbours to party.

We’re calling it Danforth East Dreams. We were so inspired by #DreamPopup survey response, we decided to up our game and go even bigger. What do you want to see next for DE? A co-work space? Community gardens? Ping pong in the park? And we know dreams are a good place to start because the Farmer’s Market, Arts Fair, Pumkin Parade, Pop-up Shops, Adopt- a-Tree and Yard Sale (or a community association) all began as someone’s big idea.

Come out and tell us. Or show us. Because this isn’t a meeting: it’s a party. We’re going to have all kinds of fun, interactive ways to share your ideas. Put your house and ideas up on the giant map of the hood, Neighbourland (apologies to Candy Chang); pin your dreams to our clothesline; get interviewed by roving kid-reporters; build your dream with the crafty Mrs. Darling (of Mrs. Darling’s Imaginarium for Boys & Girls fame); get your bike tuned up for spring by the folks from 32 Spokes; or just come and hang out and be inspired.

Besides all the free activities, we’ve also got free snacks and drinks to fuel your creative energy–popcorn courtesy of Moberly Natural Foods; java and treats from Melanie’s Bistro; beer from family-run, DIY-ers Beau’s.

But that’s not all.

Right next door, at 1803 Danforth, from 11-3 pm, Toronto’s Repair Cafe is partnering with the Tool Library and offering you free repairs of your broken stuff! The volunteer-run organization is committed to giving people the confidence to fix your things instead of making them landfill fodder. They’ll have fixers available for computers and other electronics, small appliances and furniture, and clothing and more. Our current pop-up shop, Veritus Pictures, will also be open for business– take a stroll through his gallery and find out about his fabulous workshops.

So start dreaming about the hood and tweet your ideas with #DEdreams to get us started.

Special thanks to the owners of 1803 & 1811 Danforth, Haig and David, for the use of their space for the day.
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Books & Bikes at the Market this week

BOOKS!

Two amazing local children’s book authors will be at the East Lynn Farmer’s Market this week (Thursday, July 5) showcasing their work.

The first is Tak Bui (also a DECA Board Member!). We’ve discussed Tak’s book, Spot the Difference, here before. It’s an amazing collection of bright search-and-find illustrations that challenge readers to compare pictures and find the difference. Each illustration is a rich mixture of compare-it images, wordplay (there’s a school of fish, complete with blackboard) and hilarious scenes that invite storytelling – an unlikely group of animals form a wild street corner jazz band – to keep young readers intrigued. With great expectations of all kinds, this book will keep children amused for hours on end. In his spare time, Tak’s been donating his talents around the neighbourhood, including creating murals and community gardens around Main and Stephenson, painting whales in the wading pool in Stephenson Park, and designing posters for DECA activities.

The second book is Robin Green‘s The Day After Yesterday.

When three sixth graders discover strange marbles in a weedy yard near their school, they get more than they bargained for. The marbles grant them visions of a lost century and a farmhouse where a teenage girl has just died. When one of the friends goes missing, the others decide the marbles are for more than visions. They have a friend to rescue, and not one but many lives depend on them.

At about 4:30 p.m. a representative from the Toronto Public Library will be on hand for story time in the park.

BIKES!

If you have yet to dust off your spokes for the summer or perhaps have rode so much that you’re in need of a tune-up, bring your bike to the market this week. The friendly riders from 32 Spokes will be there providing bike tune-ups.

Reminder: Don’t forget your picnic blanket and bathing suits! It should be a hot one on Thursday and the wading pool is open for business.

The East Lynn Farmer’s Market runs every Thursday from 3-7 p.m. between June-October at East Lynn Park, located on the south side of Danforth Ave, just west of Woodbine Ave.